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Friday, December 3

'tis the season...

my folks are safely back in their nest in snowy old blighty, after we had the most loveliest of fortnights spent doing exactly what i said we would do, knitting, crocheting, reading, eating and plenty of pottling around the area.

Mossy Shed is in full on gleeful mode, lights are hanging outside along with some fabby clusters of greenery upon the fence. my man kindly 'gathered and placed' them as per my instructions in cold temps on Thanksgiving afternoon.

Our #4 then commented the next day

"you know those branchy things dad put up apparently for decoration? you do know it just looks like a ton of branches have fallen off the tree and landed on the fence and we haven't bothered to clear it up"

i am thinking someone needs to find a pair of rose colored spectacles in his stocking this year.

this is the year i am totally embracing a more traditional look for our Christmas, i think it something to do with Our #1 coming home for the holidays. i dared to start counting after Thanksgiving and now i am down to 13 days to go before i will be standing at the airport gate waiting. by the time i see her it will have been 122 days since we last hugged, i am pretty chuffed at how well i have survived, allowing myself only one breakdown where i rushed from the kitchen to the computer and scrawled on her Face Book wall something along the lines of "just cutting up carrots for dinner and suddenly i can hardly breath from being overcome by how much i miss you". i think one public breakdown is allowable in four months.

the mantle piece is all decked out and for the first time ever, since first visiting Mossy Shed, i think i like it. i find our fire surround on the 'way over sized' side of things and therefore never quite know what to do with it, painting it all white and filling it with logs from the yard has helped.

this year i am looking for a little joy and a little peace (plus quiet) so when i found some knitted letters in Anthropologie whilst pottling with my folks it all came together. one long string of lace and with some bakers twine i spent a merry hour or so hanging gleeful bits and bobs along its length. the twigs in the large lacey jar (once home to pickled artichokes i found lurking in the fridge) was inspired by Country Living's (uk edition) December issue, my mother bought with her. i could practically smell the mulled wine coming off the pages as i flicked through page after page of gleeful goodness.

the J.O.Y letters i cut out from a red vintage thrift store dress and stitched them onto pages from an old book, (an angel in the corner by monica dickens, thinking it most suited to the season) i have no doubt, this would make for a lovely garland with all sorts of gleeful words strung together. a few forsaken little souls, including Joe from last year's nativity scene and Voila!

i think by now you can see i am on a total 'deck the halls' roll here in Mossy Shed. i fished out my lovely little wood & wool tree from last year made by the lovely peachy Ingrid. her little wooden green trees are truly delightful and if one doesn't have room for a tree then i do think they are the perfect solution. this year (after a terribly crappity crap effort last year) i am most delighted with my little tree's decoration, once my grandmother's pesky pom-pom squirrel hopped on top, the rest fell into place.

and lastly but by no means least, i ran up a little 'easy peasy' garland for the tree this year. all you will need is a woolly sweater in cream or any color you think will match your gleeful decor. boil your sweater, i did mine quite lightly, so basically shoved it in a hot cycle with other whites so it came out boiled but still quite thin. almost as though it had gone through the wash accidentally on the wrong cycle. i snipped it into pieces and laid it flat to dry. i am super impatient so i kept checking on it and the minute it was dryish, i pounced with my scissors and cut it into lots of little rectangles around 2" x 3" (5cm x 7.5cm) or a bit smaller. no precise measurements required, just snippity snip away.

i took a few of the rectangles and with the help of Miss Ethel zoomed back and forth to make star shapes in red stitching, the rest of the pieces i left blank. this would actually be quite nice if done by hand with embroidery thread in a color once again nicely suited to your gleeful decor.

after which i gathered my rectangles into piles of 15 and slowly attached them with Miss Ethel's help, once again you could easily do this with some hand running stitch and embroidery thread. afterwards i hung them up to admire, no passing strangers passed by to invite in so they too may admire, therefore i promptly put them away until our tree was up. (which it is now, but not then)

i must tell you since making my little 'easy peasy' recycled garland i have seen similar on ETSY, so if you do not have a little sweater that needs to be boiled, nor the time to make a garland such as this but wish to have one, then just take a look on ETSY under 'garlands' or 'holiday garlands' and you will be amazed at the beautiful strings of glee, wonderful crafty folks are making for the holidays.

so there we have it, i am way ahead of the game with decorating the shed, but way behind at filling up my shop shelves. i have been beavering away non stop over the past few days, going to bed hoping the elves will visit whilst i sleep, but alas it would appear they are not coming this year. i did write sometime ago to offer them accommodation for the season but all i received was a short reply via Twitter saying

"you must be joking, we are in Australia this year. warmer climes than your shed & no orange grub insight"

so it is just down to me and Miss Ethel, along with our high hopes, next week will see the shelves stocked with wall hangings, woolly jammy jars, bark cloth sling sacks, tea towels, mini turquoise wooden clog vignettes and other goodies... all a little late for some folks with the Christmas post what it is, but in my head i keep telling myself "better late than never Tif"

she is thanking you for the lovely notes here and in her inbox whilst she was gone and is hoping all is fine and dandy in your nests, 'cause fine and dandy is nice ~ Tif

I am a new follower after finding an adorable holiday pic on Flickr. I had to subscribe for your playful writing style alone! of all the gleeful goodness in this post, my most favoritist eye candy is the log-filled fireplace. How clever! It' so visually cozy as well. Looking forward to getting to know you!

O Tif, it is no wonder that you have gone all out decorating the mossy shed as your daughter is coming home. My daughter, my only one, is off to live in Canada the day after Christmas and I know I will miss her in the same way that you have been. You have set me a good example in keeping my chin up for the most part, thank you. As she is an Aussie she is particularly wondering at this point whether we have enough warm clothing for the icy cold snowy weather and what to wear on her tootsies so they don't freeze! By the way your decorations are an inspiration to me, thank you.

mini turquoise wooden clog vignettes, you say? that's all my favourite words in one product listing!we have missed you. i cannot wait for your no.1 to come home, you will be balling your eyes out with joy. i was all teary just reading about it so there's no hope for you. x

I found your blog a couple of weeks ago and love your pictures. I totally understand your countdown to standing at the airport waiting, as this is what I have had to do a couple of times over the last 18 months as my #1 decided to do her placement in Spain and Germany, back at uni since September but saw her last weeked as we met in Munich to visit the Christmas markets. Off to buy somne silver spray to do my "autumn" twigs and turn them into "christmas" twigs - inspired by you. Thanks!

What a lovely, inspiring post! Love your fire surround decor - it looks great. Anthropologie letters, eh.....be googling those later! The white garland is a success, oh yes. All in all, you can give yourself (and himself) a big pat on the back - it all looks fab!!

Dear TifI am fairly new reader here at your blog and have to say how much I enjoy your writing style and the way you share all you find and make! And all about mossy shed and dear Ethel :) your fireplace looks stunning. You have brought warmth to me on a cold wintery day and I just wanted to extend my thanks Love and wishes Kat xox (Northeastern England)

Dear Tif, I am new to your blog- the rock I have been hiding under must have been very big. I sooo enjoyed your post this morning.The before & after photos of your fireplace were amazing. The all white fireplace filled with logs really set off your craft work. The wood floors look perfect with it all. I have been reading all your previous posts as well and it all looks so awesome, it is hard to not want to just jump in through my screen. Good luck at the airport gate with your college daughter ... I am 3 years away from that point in life. Carolina

Oh you have been missed, but so glad you've had a good time with your parents over. I do think the elves were a bit harsh. It's not like you'll be doing orange food over Christmas, is it? (Is it?!) I am in love with the little squirrel, can I have it?

Lovely christmassy vibe flowing from my screen now, thank you! Adore the felty-jumpery garland: going to practise on one of the husband's jumpers that I dislike. I suspect that an 'accidental' felting will take place fairly soon...

I enjoyed your post - glad to have you back. I have been reading your blog for a while now but have never left a comment! Your artist style is lovely and I think you make beautiful items. PS I live in W.Sussex UK !

oh my lovely dearest readers! i am sweating it out with Miss Ethel and your lovely lovely comments have made my sweaty day :) i never get over how generous you are with your words and towards the bits and bobs i make :)

thank you kindly to all and wishing you a lovely weekend of decorating your nests with gleeful goodness :)

dotpebbles! i love them, they are perfectly perfect, how clever you are to make such sweet hens out of knitting, the detail is amazing... thank you for showing me :)

Lovely to see you back, Tif, and to read the joy in your lovely post.We had rather a lot of snow in Yorkshire and today was first time managed to get to the shops but not complaining, the hook has been hard at work!Carol xx

Haha Tif, I LOVe your little Twitter reply from the elves :) I am an Aussie, and I would not blame them if they have headed down this way. A hot and humid Christmas spent at the beach or swimming in the pool, eating cold seafood and ham for lunch, and enjoying an icy cold beer is just the most glorious way to spend Christmas in my mind. I have a very hard time trying to imagine what it must be like for all of you in the Northern Hemisphere to have the complete opposite for Christmas, but that is only because I have never experienced Christmas that way. I am sure that it is just as magical!

I am in Queensland and it has been an unusually wet and coolish Spring for us so far this year, but as luck would have it, with the arrival of December the hot and humid days have begun and it is beginning to feel more like Christmas is on it's way at last :) The rain is still hanging around though and parts of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria are experiencing floods. More rain is on it's way, and the weather bureau is predicting a very VERY wet Summer, but I hope that Christmas (and Boxing Day, which is my birthday) at least is lovely and sunny for us.

I am loving your mossy shed decorations Tif, you never fail to inspire me! Stay warm and snug...best wishes to you from Down Under :)

HEllo. Greetings from Norway. I seriosly have a cruch on your blog. Hope you don`t mind! Havent been here for a while, which I regret. But now Iàm back, for good? I want that whole fireplace for xmas. You don`t find those kind of fireplaces her in Norway. But when I lived I NY(1-9 years) we had a lovely one. Still remember that. Love the smell of wood. Well. Getting all sentimental over chilhood memoires.. Hava a lovely sunday. Will br back soon. Signe

Oh wow, I just came across your blog, it is amazing, so inspiring and so pretty. I wanted to follow you but I don't see a follow button, however I have subscribed but I tend use my blogger update to check new posts from blogger friends.

gosh Karen! you share the same birthday as Our #1, it is funny to think about Christmas in different climates, i was just having the same convo with my friend Maggi down the road who goes home to Australia this saturday to spend Christmas in warm weather!

i think all things nice you can follow me in your profile bit, that is what i do... not sure if that is the same thing though :)

thank you all my dearies for stopping by to say hello, i feel most warmed by your kindness

Ok, I have just found you through clicking link then link then..... this blog is sooo beautiful and I have only just read the latest post. A quick read of your "about me" page and you are now my new favorite blog. Can't wait for the next post.

Oh!! We (my daughter and I) do love the little squirrel atop your wonderful board-y tree! (We are very partial to squirrels here as we managed to help a little pink baby who fell down in our barn survive the first year of his life.) I would love to secretly make one for my daughter. Is he made from pom-poms? From his photo shoot(a word which is not nice to say around a squirrel!)-he looks like it. Would you just be able to tell me how tall he is? It would give me an idea of a general size to make him. Your granny had very good taste in critter decor. Thank you Dearest for any help you have time to offer...and God bless you-you certainly bring smiles and enjoyment to my day!

Glenda,how lovely that you should wish to make a little pesky pom-pom squirrel :)on close inspection this is what i have deducedhe is2.5" highhe is made from pom poms that are dense and thick, almost as though they were made bigger and then trimmed into shape.his head being round and1"his body being longer and 1.5" by 1" wide.his tail is curved and i have no idea how that was done.his little ears are made from felt (a little flea bitten now)and his eyes are teeny tiny black beads.his little paws are narrow wire covered in the same felt as his ears and then bent back on itself to make little tiny paws.i am now wondering if squirrels have paws, perhaps they are called something else!

anyhow Glenda! i hope that helps you out and loved the story of your baby squirrel rescuing with the help of your daughter, thank you for sharing :)

Thank you Tiff! I am heading to my yarn stash to pick out gray for my attempt at a squirrel pom-creation!

Yes, squirrel hands are called paws. They are a most fascinating creature! We really enjoy our little friend and he is so very cute! We have learned so much from this experience and visitors to our home have as well.

Our buddy, Zach, LOVES to eat sugar snap peas, apple bits and walnuts, squash, etc... He likes acorns, pinecones and oak branches. He loves to tumble around with our hands and nibble our fingers, he could hurt us if he wanted to, but he never has. He is only fond of my daughter (Lydia) and I. He will also curl up and let us hold him and he will fall asleep.

When we found him he was a little pink creature and I thought he was a rat. Lydia insisted in aiding his plight (by crying and appealing to my motherly sympathies). I let her, but really thought he would die from the huge lump on his head over his right eye. He fell from the ceiling of our barn to the cement floor and was abandoned by his mother!

She fed him with an eye dropper filled with puppy formula-every two hours around the clock at first...and he actually thrived and grew fur and opened his sweet eyes to look at us! We play with him every day and let him out into the room with us to have a run.

I didn't mean to keep you so long with our furry friend story...just thought I'd tell a bit. One day I'll put a picture of him on my blog and let you know...he's a cutie and we really love him! :)

So, I'm off to sculpture a few pom poms into a squirrel. I'll let you know how I make out!

Hi, I just Found your lovely Blog and I love it!!!!!I have exactly the same ornaments (the little swedish boys and girls) at my home! The idea of the tree is great!Enjoy the day and come for a Visite at my blog if you like,Kiki

Tif,Whilst doing some pre-holiday cleaning here, I found a vintage copy of "Look Homeward Angel" that my husband had added to the "donate to Goodwill" pile. I would be happy to sent it to the Mossy Shed, if you have any use for its pages. Your "Little String of Dottie Angel" photo made me think of it.Happy Holidays!-Heidi in Folk City

Oh WOW Tif, I have never encountered another who shares my birthday - that is so awesome! It is a wonderful time of the year to have a birthday, well, for me it is anyway :) Mum and Dad always made sure that they made a fuss out of my birthday so that I wouldn't feel lost amongst all of the Christmas celebrations, and I thank them for it because it makes my birthday feel extra-special to me now I am an adult. People always comment to me that it must be awful to have my birthday on Boxing Day, but I wouldn't have it any other way :) If you don't mind me asking, how does your #1 feel about having her birthday around Christmas?

It sure is very strange to think about Christmas in different climates, I agree whole-heartedly! Very strange indeed!!! We still have a lot of Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, and cards sold in stores here with snowflakes and other winter-themed imagery on them and such, but I just can't buy into it/them...with our climate and the way we celebrate the holidays, they just don't signify Christmas for me if you know what I mean? We in warmer climes at Christmas tend to be forgotten like that, I'm afraid :(

Well, I sure do hope that Maggi has a lovely trip back home to Australia and an even lovelier Christmas :) I think that it is so totally amazing that you can be on one side of the world and I on the other yet we are both connected by a birthday and Australia in a roundabout kind of way...it sound silly or be commonplace to some, but when you stop and really think about it, you realize just how wonderful the internet really is :)

glenda! thank you so kindly for telling me about your little buddy Zach! i am quite sure i am not alone in feeling warmed to the very core at your lovely story and the kindness and caring that shone through :)

karen! delighted you loved to hear Our #1 shares the same birthday, and perhaps you may wish to know Our #3 was born on the 27th! making it three whole days of celebration in the shed :)just like your mother, i go out of my way to make them feel like their day is super duper special and in return having their birthdays right next to christmas means we get to truly truly embrace that family feeling at christmas! thank you for sharing and i totally agree with you, the cyberworld is an amazing place full of wonderful connections that leaves one feeling so amazed at times :)

thank you all again, dearest readers for being so generous in your words towards me and my crafty ways :)

I love, love, love your blog!! Your pictures and ideas are so inspiring! Thank you so much!My children have decorated their "playhouse" with the same little red and white gnomes ;-)Hugs from Switzerland, Doris

I simply LOVE your taste and all your cute christmas crafts!! Would you like to come and help me decorate my place..hehe. Just a hop across the border to Vancouver. lolI will defenatley be checking your site often!! :)

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